Clothespin



J. S. MATTA CLOTHESPIN Feb. 9, 1954 Filed July 23, 1951 Joseph 8. Mafia INVENTOR. @6 6- Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES P messag The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in clothes pins and more particularly to a wire clothes pin constructed to provide a clamping jaw for clamping the clothes on a line.

An important object of the invention is to provide a resilient wire clothes pin formed with eyes to receive a clothes line to permanently attach the clothes pin in a slidably adjusted position on the line and utilizing the clamping jaw to clamp clothes to the line as well as to tighten the clothes pin on the line.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is neat and attractive in appearance, efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, references being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on a line 22 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the clothes pin generally and which is constructed of resilient wire to provide a clothes line attaching part -6 and a clothes clamping part or jaw 1.

Clothes line attaching part 6 comprises a pair of wire leg portions 8 having eyes 9 formed at their upper ends to receive a clothes line In, the wire extending from the eyes under the line horizontally and in a forward direction to form lateral arms or catches ll projecting outwardly at the sides of the legs 8. The arms or catches II are united with each other in front of the legs 8, by connecting bar Ila.

The clamping part or jaw 1 is constructed of a pair of wire clamping-leg portions 12 formed with eyes [3 at their lower ends engaged in eyes I4 at the lower ends of legs 8 of part 6 to swingably connect jaw I to the latter. If desired the legs 8 and I2 may be constructed of a single strand of wire (not shown) united at their lower ends.

Legs 12 are positioned substantially parallel to legs 8 and outwardly at the sides of the latter and legs 12 are crossed and united with each other at their upper ends by a resilient ring I5 positioned above the clothes line I 0.

In the operation of the device, eyes 9 are opened to receive a clothes line by pressing downwardly on arms or catches II to permit the line to be threaded in and freely slide the line on the eyes to thus permanently attach the clothes pin to the line.

Ring i5 may then be pressed inwardly at its sides to spread legs l2 outwardly or away from each other to position the clamping legs 12 either behind catches H or to release the legs from the catches for swinging the jaw part I forwardly. In Figure 1 I have illustrated a practical means of clamping a garment I6 on the line by placing a corner of the garment between lateral arms or catches II and the clothes line while the legs I2 of the jaws are in a position forwardly of the catches, and ring [5 may then be squeezed with the fingers to spread the legs l2 of the jaws apart and which then may be swung upwardly to engage legs l2 behind the catches and thus clamp the garment to the line.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A wire clothespin comprising a clothes clamping part and a clothesline attaching part, said last named part including a pair of vertical wire legs, resilient eyes at the upper portion of the legs adapted for slidably mounting on the line to support the legs below the line, a pair of catch arms projecting laterally outwardly from the eyes and spaced forwardly with respect to the latter, a connecting bar uniting the catch arms with each other, said first named part includinga pair of vertical resilient clamping legs con-' nected at their lower ends to the lower ends of the first named legs for vertical swinging movement of the former into and out of locking engagement behind said catch arms to clamp an article of clothing placed between the arms and the clamping legs, said last named legs being crossed with each other at a point adjacent their upper ends, and a. resilient ring uniting the upper ends of said last named legs to each other above their point of crossing and adapted to releast said last named legs from said catch arms by pressure subjected to the sides of the ring.

JOSEPH S. MATTA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Number Name Date Palmer Mar. 28, 1905 Brown June 12, 1906 Tarnow Dec. 15, 1908 Young Mar. 11, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1897 

